The Panzerfaust was an inexpensive, recoilless German anti-tank weapon of World War II. It consisted of a small, disposable preloaded launch tube firing a high explosive anti-tank warhead, operated by a single soldier. The Panzerfaust was developed from the earlier Faustpatrone and remained in service in various versions until the end of the war.

Development began in 1942 on a larger version of the Faustpatrone. The resulting weapon was the Panzerfaust 30, with a total weight of 5.1 kilograms (11.2 lb) and total length of 1.045 metres (3.4 ft). The launch tube was made of low-grade steel 44 millimetres (1.7 in) in diameter, containing a 95-gram (3.4 oz) charge of black powder propellant. Along one side of the tube were a simple folding rear sight and a trigger. The edge of the warhead was used as the front sight. The oversize warhead (140 mm (5.5 in) in diameter) was fitted into the front of the tube by an attached wooden tail stem with metal stabilizing fins. The warhead weighed 2.9 kilograms (6.4 lb) and contained 0.8 kilograms (1.8 lb) of a 50:50 mixture of TNT and hexogen explosives, with armor penetration of 200 millimetres (7.9 in).

The Panzerfaust often had warnings written in large red letters on the upper rear end of the tube, the words usually being "Achtung! Feuer-strahl!" (Beware! Fire Jet!). This was to warn soldiers to avoid the backblast. After firing, the tube was discarded, making the Panzer-faust the first disposable anti-tank weapon. During the last stages of the war, many poorly-trained conscripts were given a Panzerfaust and nothing else. The weapon was correctly fired from the crook of the arm and the shaped charge could penetrate up to 200 millimetres (7.9 in) of steel, enough to defeat any armoured fighting vehicle of the period.

The weapon proved to be particularly deadly to Allied armored ve-hicles, particularly in urban combat where the short lines of sight allowed the weapon to be used at close range. The weapon was used to knock out large numbers of Soviet armored vehicles during the Battle of Berlin. The construction was so simple that they could be made in the city while it was under siege, allowing wheelbarrow loads of Pan-zerfausts to be delivered to the defenders.

There were the following variants:

Panzerfaust 30 klein ("small") or Faustpatrone

This was the original version, first delivered in August 1943 with a total weight of 3.2 kilograms (7.1 lb) and overall length of 98.5 cm (38.8 in). The "30" was indicative of the nominal maximum range of 30 m (33 yd). It had a 3.3 cm (1.3 in) diameter tube containing 54 grams (1.9 oz) of black powder propellant launching a 10 cm (3.9 in) warhead carrying 400 g (14 oz) of explosive. The projectile traveled at just 30 m (98 ft) per second and could penetrate 140 mm (5.5 in) of armor.

Panzerfaust 30

An improved version also appearing in August 1943, this version had a larger warhead for improved armor penetration, 200 mm (7.9 in), but the same range of 30 meters.

Panzerfaust 60

This was the most common version, with production starting in September 1944. It had a much more practical range of 60 m (66 yd), although with a muzzle velocity of only 45 m (150 ft) per second it would take 1.3 seconds for the warhead to reach a tank at that range. To achieve the higher velocity, the tube diameter was increased to 5 cm (2.0 in) and 134 g (4.7 oz) of propellant used. It also had an improved flip-up rear sight and trigger mechanism. The weapon now weighed 6.1 kg (13 lb). It could defeat 200 mm (7.9 in) of armor.

Panzerfaust 100

This was the final version produced in quantity, from November 1944 onwards. It had a nominal maximum range of 100 m (330 ft). 190 g (6.7 oz) of propellant launched the warhead at 60 m (200 ft) per second from a 6 cm (2.4 in) diameter tube. The sight had holes for 30, 60, 80 and 150 m (260 and 490 ft), and had luminous paint in them to make counting up to the correct one easier in the dark. This version weighed 6 kg (13 lb) and could penetrate 220 mm (8.7 in) of armor.

Panzerfaust 150

This was a major redesign of the weapon, and was deployed in limited numbers near the end of the war. The firing tube was reinforced and reusable for up to ten shots. A new pointed warhead with increased armor penetration and two-stage propellant ignition gave a higher velocity of 85 m (280 ft) per second. Production started in March 1945, two months before the end of the war.

Panzerfaust 250

Scheduled to enter production in September 1945, Similar to the 150, but with a longer tube and a handle with an trigger, Similar to the RPG-2, for the user. but the war ended before development had been completed.

Many Panzerfausts were sold to Finland, which desperately needed them as the Finnish forces lacked anti-tank weapons that could destroy heavily armed Soviet tanks like the T-34 and IS-2. The Panzerfaust design proved to be so effective that German engineers tried to make a similar weapon the Fliegerfaust ("flying fist") intended to shoot down low flying allied aircraft.